


El Mundo Gira

by 30xf



Series: 201 Days Of X Files [83]
Category: The X-Files
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-19 23:45:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11908728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/30xf/pseuds/30xf





	El Mundo Gira

"Did the boys go to bed alright for you?" Charlie asked as Dana came back down the stairs.

"Yep, they're sound asleep. Just like little angels," Dana smiled, coming to sit on the couch beside her brother. 

Charlie scoffed, "Angels, my ass. They're just behaving cause you're they're favourite aunt. All they've been talking about all week is coming to see Aunt D."

Dana couldn't help but grin, "Well, I've only ever seen them behave. So as far as I'm concerned, you and Nancy are full of shit when you complain about them."

With a raised eyebrow much like his sister's, Charlie shook his head. "I'm gonna install cameras in the house so you can see what little terrors they are sometimes."

Dana nodded, but still wasn't convinced. "Where is Nancy?" she asked after a quiet minute.

"Mom didn't tell you? She couldn't miss work," he explained, avoiding eye contact.

"No, I heard that. I was just wondering what the real story was," she said, taking a sip of her tea.

He gave a shrug, fidgeting with the coaster his coffee cup sat on. "That's it. That's the whole story."

She gave another nod, understanding she wasn't going to get anything out of him this time. They had always been able to tell each other just about anything, but it seemed each time they saw each other or talked on the phone lately, he was more closed off. "You get all your stuff settled into the other room?" she asked, punching him lightly in the ribs. It was a gesture that only he'd understand. They're return to their normal light repartee. It meant she was done prodding; she respected his privacy and wouldn't ask anymore. 

"Yeah--nice of you to grab the good bed before we could get here," he teased. There were three guest rooms in their mother's house, and it was a well known fact that the first child to arrive got the good room.

"With Bill not here, it was pretty easy to snag it."

"Mr. 'Get There Early Or Don't Get There At All'? Family dinner is so rare lately, I'm surprised he skipped out. I've finally beaten him at something," Charlie smiled.

Dana rolled her eyes, "Oh, shut up. He's overseas, anyways. Bit of a long way to come." 

"No Tara either, though?"

Frowning, she recalled what her mother had told her. "She's not quite up for it, after just having the miscarriage not long ago. I would have thought being with us would be good for her. Plus, she could visit her parents while she was here. But I understand--it's more comfortable to be at home."

Charlie nodded, "Probably didn't want to take us all on without Bill, either. We are a lot to handle sometimes."

Dana raised her eyebrow, "Speak for yourself." She gave her brother a gentle push. "I'm delightful."

"These family dinners seem to get smaller and smaller every time," Charlie noted dismally. "You should have brought that guy you work with."

"Ugh, you sound like mom," she sighed, setting her tea cup on the coffee table and resting her feet by it. "We just work together, you know."

"Alright, calm down," Charlie laughed. "I didn't mean anything by it. From the way mom talks about him, and the way you talk about him, I just thought you were good friends."

"We are," Dana allowed. "But I don't need to spend every waking hour with him. We just got back from California yesterday, and I spent all day at work with him today talking about fungus and Mexican goat suckers. I'm entitled to a little vacation from my partner."

By the time she finished, Charlie was looking at her with both eyebrows raised. "You sure you guys aren't married? God, I haven't heard so much resentment in one sentence since I talked to Nancy on the phone earlier."

Dana was too distracted trying to recall the nuances of her tone to take the bait regarding her brother's marriage. "I don't know," she continued, purposely keeping her voice calm. "Maybe I just need a vacation from everything."

"Or a date?" Charlie suggested. "When was the last time you went on a date?"

Fidgeting with her own fingers, Dana kept her eyes low. "I respectfully decline to answer that."

"Well, maybe you should respectfully decide to consider it," he said, proud of himself for turning her words around on her.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. "I wouldn't know where to begin to even look for a date, Charlie. With how much I'm away, I'm not exactly prime date material, anyways."

Charlie nodded, but was lost in thought. "Don't let too much time get away from you, Dana," he said finally. "Before you know it, your life is all set out for you, and by the time you realize what you want, it might be too late to go after it."

She considered his words carefully, acutely aware that while he was talking to her, he was most definitely projecting on himself. "We have not had nearly enough alcohol this evening for the turn this conversation has taken," she noted.

"I wholeheartedly agree," he sighed. A few minutes passed in companionable silence before Charlie turned to his sister, something she had said just registering in his brain. "What the hell is a Mexican goat sucker?"


End file.
